Sunday, April 20, 2008

With the prices of fuel steadily soaring over the roof, it’s just practical to do anything in order to save gas while you’re using your Honda Civic regularly. Here are some useful tips in saving more money, more fuel and more mileage for your Civic.

If you’re waiting for someone inside your car and it may seems that they’re going to take a long time, turn off your engine rather letting it idle as you wait. An idle engine still releases emissions from its exhaust and this act greatly lessens your fuel in your Civic’s tank. It would save you a great amount of money and our environment from self-destructing if you could prevent your engine from idling.

You’re driving in traffic and you have this annoying habit of pressing down on the brake pedal so hard. Avoid this practice because in doing so, a large amount of fuel is wasted in this operation. It would be ideal to anticipate when to stop so you could brake slowly and save more fuel.

If you’re satisfied with the temperature outside of your Civic, you could just switch off its air-conditioning system. There’s no practicality in using the A/C system if you’re driving in cool weather for it will only speed up your car’s fuel consumption.

Have your precious Civic checked for irregularities at your nearest garage. You never know if your car is suffering from grime build-up in its pipes and hoses, inferior parts or worn-out engine components. So, in order to avoid this situation and save more gas money, check your Civic regularly with your neighborhood-friendly garage and its car mechanics.

If you can avoid using your Civic for short distances, then by all means, do so. Whether it’s a trip to you neighbor four blocks away or a short travel to the grocery store located just near your place, you could save a lot of fuel and money if you’ll walk. In addition to that, you could use the exercise too.

Never place too much useless things that will greatly contribute to the weight inside your car. A heavier load means your Civic will use more power. More power means your Civic will guzzle up more fuel. More fuel means more space in your wallet due to the slow loss of money.

In line with number six, don’t install too many aftermarket parts and accessories to your Civic if you’re just looking for something to show off. The installation of a wide body kit, a turbocharger or a complex in-car entertainment system could greatly increase your fuel consumption and lessen your gas money. So if you’re just out to have bragging rights rather than race other modified cars on the road, avoid the option of installing these performance parts.

Monday, April 7, 2008

What is the biggest-selling three door hatch in the UK today? It has a more than capable engine to outrun its competitors and carries the famous Honda badge. The answer is the Honda Civic Type R.

Ever since Honda unveiled the Civic Type R last March 2007 up until the end of February, the Japanese car maker has sold a total of 5, 192 units to satisfied customers in the UK. This number proves that the Honda Civic Type R is the hottest performance hatchback in the UK right now.

Meanwhile, its closest competitor, Ford, placed only second to Honda with sales of the Focus ST reaching 4, 778. Next to Ford in 3rd place is the Golf GTI with sales totaling to 1, 984 in the UK.

If you think that’s all the Honda Civic Type R has achieved, here are some more reasons why this Japanese car ought to be in the spotlight right now.

Honda listened to its customer’s pleas to have a more refined cabin with high specifications. The Japanese car maker unveiled the GT grade - and a huge 90 per cent of customers opt for this more comfortable, better-equipped Civic

If you’re going to look and analyze closely into its sales records, Honda (UK) has sold just one unit of the stripped-down, lightweight Type Rs (with no parcel shelf, stereo equipment or audio speakers)

The current residual value for the Civic Type R GT is an amazing 52 per cent (3 years / 60,000 miles) - this compares favorably with both the Focus ST (40 per cent) and Golf GTI (43 per cent)

58 per cent of 3-door Civic sales are to conquest customers

During 2007, the Civic Type R won Top Gear magazine’s Hot Hatch of the Year and scooped the same award in Auto Express’s New Car Honors